We're about:

We are a local group of compassionate people dedicated to healthy lifestyles that promote kindness and peace in our community. We're based in Orange County, California. However, our offerings are relevant for people anywhere in the world as online wellness sessions and virtual events.

Why "Stop and Feel?" Because it is by slowing down, and turning within that we connect with our inner reservoir of love, radiance, joy, happiness, and calm. When we slow down, stop the rushing, and listen within, we naturally connect with nature and all animals. We become more attuned to the Earth and all her inhabitants.

We promote kindness toward all animals and emphasize veganism as a way of being. Kindness, as expressed through a vegan lifestyle, is the foundation for justice, health, wholeness, and compassion in our lives and in the larger world.

I've found that there are many vegan groups out there, but many of us (including myself) would benefit from a holistic approach to community involvement that includes practicing balance, self-care, and self-love. We've all seen people get involved in activism or volunteering at the expense of self-care and they end up "burning out." Well, I want to help you prevent that from happening. So, in addition to community-oriented events to promote veganism and animal rights, I will also offer mindfulness techniques, yoga, meditation, life-in-balance education, food preparation lessons, and wellness coaching. All of these offerings will help you be the best you can be by quieting the mind and healing the body.

By involving yourself in this meetup you will be empowered to become the best you can be - for yourself, those close to you, your community, and for the sake of the animals!

We host educational as well as interactive and social events to inspire and empower each other. This includes yoga, meditation, empowering presentations, and nature-yoga immersions.

We focus on educating people about animal rights and the benefits of plant-based/vegan diets. We educate the community through leafleting, demonstrations, vegan food sampling, hosting speakers.

More info about me may be found here, www.CharlotteCressey.com or www.VeganWellness.net.

My philosophy on animal rights is this:

Animal rights and compassion for animals is an integral part of creating a kinder world for all. We believe that everything is connected. Cruelty and callousness we perpetrate against other beings only comes back to harm us. Although we focus on animal liberation, our ultimate goal is liberation for all beings from any chains seen and unseen that may bind them. When the power of love is set free in the world, there is no limit to its revolutionizing potential.

Our goal is to expose institutionalized animal abuses that are woven into our culture. This includes animals used for food, their skins, hair, pelts, and feathers, animals in entertainment, dog and cat breeding for profit while 4 million are euthanized every year, animals used for "science", hunting and other crimes against wildlife, and all others suffering.

We aim to inform and empower individuals about how to make compassionate choices. We illuminate the benefits of a vegan diet for the environment, the animals, and our health. We support people in making the transition to a compassionate lifestyle. (However, we emphasize veganism and abolition of the animal trade, not so-called "humane" animal products.)

Despite all the sadness and suffering, we remain hopeful and we do not judge and blame. We aim to cultivate peace within ourselves. We understand that the majority of our culture is unaware of the suffering of animals and the ethical dilemma. They do not purposely engage in cruelty, they live in a culture that influences them to believe it is okay. We have compassion for all humans.

We know that anger will not benefit our cause, therefore we are passionate, but not angry activists. We seek to understand animal exploitation within the cultural context and learn how to educate and open the hearts of individuals and in so doing --transform society. Compassionate consumerism alone will not change the current state of the world, therefore we encourage others to see the importance of community outreach, education, and activism.

We aim to train others to become leaders in animal rights and to plant seeds of compassion, love, and hope for the earth, for the animals, and for the people wherever they go.